Community
Mo Shafieeha and
Community
From the return of co-living spurred on by the increasingly realized benefit of living close to friends and family, to the growing presence of grassroots community initiatives like Neighborhood Trade School, mutual aid fridges, and community gardens, it’s clear that we’ve begun to recognize the potency of solving problems with collective solutions... See more
Our Centaur Future - A RADAR Report
The dilemma of chasing spectacle versus achieving lasting impact by starting small and cultivating deep, sustainable engagement.
TRANSCRIPT
It's interesting to think about if you're playing the game of spectacle, there's only sort of one path forward, which is more or bigger. Yeah. And mischief trapped ourselves in that own game. Like we've, we built the game, we designed a game. We want it because we're a player of one. And then we essentially are trapped by the game unless we
... See moreChoice quote:
“I think you can only really get staying power if you focus on a relationship with a small group for as long as you can possibly hold on and then a little bit more, and then maybe, maybe you have a chance of something with like really significant staying power.”
Zooming out: great communities, in the traditional sense, required limited options so people would remain dependent: no specialists or external trade (to ensure we all collectively worked together), and no diversity or weird ideas (to ensure a homogenous group with a focus on tradition). We had far worse medical treatment, underwent excruciating manual labor, and didn’t necessarily share the same interests with others, but because we were dependent on each other, the bonds were strong. Now the options are virtually limitless, and we’re seeing our social bonds decay as a result.
the cure for loneliness is hospitality
someone with charisma, resources & generosity can host a good party, make introductions, and lubricate the formation of social networks
the best place to meet the love of your life is at your friend’s dinner party
Richard D. Bartlettx.comContrary to what we would like to believe, there is no such thing as a structureless group. Any group of people of whatever nature that comes together for any length of time for any purpose will inevitably structure itself in some fashion. The structure may be flexible; it may vary over time; it may evenly or unevenly distribute tasks, power and... See more
What's New • The Tyranny of Stuctureless
It seems to me that Don believed deep down that our worlds were worth decorating, and that doing so was a joyful act. “The people who use lawn ornaments are typically friendly because they’re decorating the outside of their house for someone else,” he once told an interviewer.
Bailey Richardson • Donald Featherstone
I post this quote from Peter Block's book "Community" every year. It doesn't get much attention because it's not built for social media: it's thick.
But there really isn't a better explanation of the "why" behind the work I do, and its encouragement for communities to move away from blame, apathy, and entitlement and towards possibility,
... See more